Deconstructing Western Privilege: Are Foreigners in Africa Benefiting At the Expense of Natives

Ugandans do not see me as an African-American or a black American. Yes, they recognize the pigmentation of my skin and can clearly see that I am a black woman; however, I am still referred to as mzungu (a Luganda term meaning foreigner or ‘white person’). No matter how “African” my features, Ugandans perceive me as an American – no hyphens needed. Ugandans I meet do not take my complex history as a black woman from America into consideration. To them, I am a Westerner. A native English speaker. I hold the coveted American passport. I was educated at one of the United States’ most prominent private universities. I hail from the land of the free and the home of the brave. This translates to my own version of ‘white privilege’ which I will refer to as ‘Western privilege’ – it just has a better ring to it. While this article comes from my perspective as a Westerner living in Uganda, I am going out on a limb to say that this ‘Western Privilege’ phenomenon is prevalent throughout the African continent.